A Catholic retreat centre in Glendalough, Co Wicklow, was officially opened by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, yesterday.
Dr Martin, who was titular archbishop of Glendalough before becoming coadjutor archbishop of Dublin in May 2003, participated in a special blessing ceremony at St Kevin's hermitage retreat centre.
The centre includes a meditation garden designed to provide a space "where nature, scripture and Glendalough's great Christian heritage combine", thereby giving visitors "a unique opportunity to reflect and pray".
The centre also encompasses five self-catering hermitages or cillíns, and a converted coach-house, located next to the recently-restored parish church of St Kevin's, where a special Mass was celebrated yesterday.
The five-year project, originally undertaken to mark the Jubilee Year in 2000, was completed with the help of the local St John's Church of Ireland community, which shared its church with Catholic worshippers while the renovations were taking place.
At the ceremony, timed to coincide with the annual feast of St Kevin, Dr Martin described Glendalough as a "spiritual powerhouse", and said he hoped the retreat would develop into a major centre of spiritual renewal for the diocese.
He also spoke of the need for harmony with nature in the modern world, noting that "creation" was one of the primary ways in which God was revealed.
On the 60th anniversary of D-Day, Dr Martin remembered those people from Glendalough who died in the second World War and other conflicts.
Details of a programme of retreats at St Kevin's can be found at: www.hermitage.dublindiocese.ie
